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Is rain on your wedding day good luck…or bad?

Given the emotional state of most brides on their wedding day, you’ll hear many guests console her that rain actually means good luck the day-of. After all, who in their right mind would tell a bride that rain is bad luck – especially as she stands ready to waltz down the aisle under an umbrella? No one!

Many people have different opinions on whether rain on your wedding day symbolizes good luck or bad luck. Let’s look a little bit at the origins behind each side of the superstition before deciding which to believe (if either!).

Rain on your wedding day is good luck because…

Rain represents many things in different cultures – most of which include fertility, cleansing, unity, renewal, and tears. Here’s a look at all possible scenarios that I’ve gathered.

Fertility

Rain on your wedding day is good luck because it signifies that you will have children.

This belief came about since rain ultimately waters the ground and lends to fertility, thus allowing growth of plants and vegetation. This was always a big deal in communities based around agriculture.

Cleansing

Rain on your wedding day is good luck because it signifies the cleansing of tough times or sadness in your past.

Sources say this since rain tends to wash away dirt and even pollution.

Unity

Rain on your wedding day is good luck because it signifies that your marriage will last.

As you know, a knot that becomes wet is extremely hard to untie – therefore, when you “tie the knot” on a rainy day, your marriage is supposedly just as hard to unravel! We can thank Hindu traditions for this belief.

Renewal

Rain on your wedding day is good luck because it signifies washing away of bad memories or occurrences and, in effect, gives you a completely new, fresh chapter in your life.

You know that refreshing scent after the rain, just when the sun starts peaking back through the clouds? That “new day” feeling is where this belief came from – that your wedding will truly be the beginning of a new chapter in your lives.

Tears

Rain on your wedding day is good luck because it symbolizes the last tears that the bride will shed for the rest of her life.

Rain on your wedding day is bad luck because…

There’s really on one source I could find that says rain on your wedding day is bad luck, actually.

Tears

Rain on your wedding day is bad luck because it represents the number of tears the bride will shed during her marriage.

One thing is for certain – more versions of this superstition suggest good luck, rather than bad!

As Janice from Sampson’s Hollow states, “It rained on my wedding day, and I’ve been married to my husband for nearly 37 years!” She also described her flourishing family, so perhaps the rain really is good luck.

Since this superstition seems to pop up in many different cultures for different reasons, it is hard to pinpoint where it actually began. Most records I’ve found tend to list Hindu customs, traditions, and beliefs, so perhaps its origin resides there. Honestly, though, this superstition tends to have been tweaked by many different cultures, making what we hear today a mixture of many ideas and beliefs!

The only way I see rain as being “bad luck” on your wedding day is if you planned an outdoor ceremony or reception without a plan B, and you’re totally against your guests having fun out in the rain.

As long as you are well prepared, the rain shouldn’t ruin your day – or your life with your future hubby. Plus, you can get some truly amazing wedding photos out of the day!

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I got married in Cairo, Egypt where it only rains once or twice per year, so imagine our surprise when our big day was the day it chose to rain. It didn’t feel very lucky at the time since there is no infrastructure to deal with rainwater there, so roads were flooded and many of our guests faced massive delays and some couldn’t make it at all!
People have been telling me it’s lucky though and just over a month in our marriage is going well so far. Let’s hope it continues that way!

by Pink Lady Andrea on December 29, 2015 at 11:28 am

Wow, Rachel! That’s an amazing story! So glad it all seems to be working out for you guys now 😉